Privacy Policy

BoatGuider Media LLC ("we", "us", "our") operates boatguider.com (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your information when you visit. We are committed to GDPR (EU) and CCPA (California) compliance, and we operate under a strict data-minimization philosophy — we collect only what we need to operate the Site and improve our content.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide

When you contact us via email or our contact form, we collect the information you provide: your name, email address, and the content of your message. We retain these communications for up to 24 months for quality assurance and to follow up on editorial corrections.

Information Collected Automatically

We use privacy-respecting analytics (Plausible Analytics, no cookies) that collects aggregate, anonymized usage data: page views, referrer URLs, approximate geographic region (country-level only), and device type (mobile/tablet/desktop). We do not collect IP addresses, we do not use cross-site tracking cookies, and we do not sell data to third parties.

Information from Third Parties

We do not purchase data brokers' lists. We do not ingest audience data from advertising networks. The only third-party services that process reader data on our behalf are:

• Plausible Analytics — privacy-first analytics (no cookies, no PII)
• Cloudflare — edge hosting & DDoS protection (processes IP addresses transiently for security, does not persist)
• ConvertKit — email newsletter service (only if you explicitly subscribe)

How We Use Your Information

• To respond to your editorial inquiries and corrections
• To deliver the BoatGuider newsletter (only if you subscribe)
• To understand aggregate content performance and improve our articles
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• To comply with legal obligations

Cookies

We use a single first-party cookie (boatguider-theme) to remember your light/dark theme preference. This cookie is set only after you toggle the theme manually and is not used for tracking. We do not use any third-party advertising cookies. Our analytics provider (Plausible) is cookie-less by design.

Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or California, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure — request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction — request that we limit processing of your data
• Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@boatguider.com. We respond to all verified requests within 30 days.

Data Retention

Editorial communications are retained for 24 months. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe. Analytics data is aggregated and retained indefinitely (no individual reader data is stored). Server logs (Cloudflare) are retained for 7 days for security purposes and then automatically purged.

Children's Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be announced via our newsletter at least 14 days before taking effect.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email privacy@boatguider.com or write to us at:

BoatGuider Media LLC
Attn: Privacy Officer
137 Dock Street, Suite 4
Annapolis, MD 21403
United States